By Mary Garrigan
Rapid City Journal
October 26, 2009
http://www.rapidcityjournal.com/news/article_77a7363a-c28c-11de-a1a2-001cc4c002e0.html
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| Bishop Blase Cupich |
A Milwaukee newspaper reported Monday that Rapid City Bishop Blase Cupich is among a field of four front-runners to be named head of the Archdiocese of Milwaukee.
Cupich, who has led the Diocese of Rapid City for 11 years, had no comment on the story.
The Journal Sentinel's story was based on speculation by prominent Catholic blogger Rocco Palmo on his Web site, Whispers In the Loggia. Palmo reported that Cupich was one of four finalists for the job vacated nine months ago by Archbishop Timothy Dolan, who left to become head of the Archdiocese of New York.
The Vatican recently filled a spate of empty bishop chairs, including the Diocese of Cheyenne, which governs Wyoming's 50,000 Catholics. On Oct. 19, the pope named the Rev. Paul Etienne, a 50-year-old cleric from Indiana, to that post. He is expected to be installed in November.
Cupich currently heads the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops committee for child and youth protection.
The Diocese of Milwaukee is facing 14 pending civil fraud cases over clergy sexual abuse claims, according to the Journal Sentinel.
Palmo reports the other three top candidates as Bishops Gerald Kicanas of Tucson, Jerome Listecki of LaCrosse and the diocese's current acting administrator, Auxiliary Bishop William Callahan, although the Vatican rarely promotes auxiliary bishops to head the diocese they currently serve.
Diocesan communication director Sharon Zeller said her office had been contacted by Milwaukee media outlets Monday, but Cupich declined comment. In recent years, Cupich has also been mentioned as a candidate to fill vacancies in Pittsburgh, Minneapolis-St. Paul and Washington, D.C.
Zeller said Cupich "often says he loves being the bishop of this diocese."
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